How to Handle Wet Hay

When rainfall interferes with your hay harvest, it’s a dilemma. Baling wet hayinvites mold, and delaying harvest can contribute to other issues. Here are a few tips on the question of how to deal with and store wet hay, from the team at Flieg’s Equipment. We’ve got two locations: One just west of Ste. Genevieve and one in Leadington, just north of Farmington, Missouri.

Should You Bale Your Wet Hay?

If your hay has gotten rained on after harvesting, you face the question of when to bale and if you should bale. In an ideal situation, it will dry on the ground and you can bale it safely. Yes, you can turn the hay to make it dry faster, but this could cause long-term damage to the plants as they regrow. Repeated driving with a heavy machine will jeopardize regrowth and cause soil compaction, especially if the field is still wet. However, if you leave the windrows where they lie, they will smother the plants below. 

Ultimately, you need to move the hay somehow. Bale it, chop it or blow it back on the field as mulch. While wet hay is not a winning proposition no matter how you look at it, ignoring it will only compound your problems.

Watch for Windrow Damage

Wet windrows will smother the underlying plants if they remain too long. This lowers yield in your next harvest, and it also gives grasses and broadleaves an opportunity to infest the killed strips. These unwanted plants will contaminate your future harvests. They will be of lower quality and may be plagued with insects and weeds, which will demand further treatment. 

If you leave wet windrows in the field until the next cutting, expect them to plug your mower and seriously slow you down.

Wet Hay and Quality Loss

Not only does rain increase the likelihood of decay and mold, but it also leaches soluble nutrients. One remedy to minimize the amount of wet hay you bale is to use a mower/conditioner and tedder on hayfields. Conditioning and tedding hay will speed up the rate of drying. Commercial hay drying agents can be applied to each bale as it’s baled, but this can be expensive.

How To Store Wet Hay

Once you’ve baled your hay, how do you store it to retain nutrients, resist moisture, reduce mold and decay, and minimize fire danger? 

Bales with higher moisture content (18% for round bales and 20% for small square bales) can cause excessive heating and possible fires. Bales made during the heat of the day will retain that heat, also. Bales that are at risk of generating too much heat should be stored outside to prevent the risk of structure fires. 

Otherwise, follow the usual storage practices for your harvested hay. Dense, evenly formed bales will shed water better and stay dryer during storage. 

Rainy harvests are not fun. Take every possible step to lower storage losses and improve hay quality. It will take extra effort, but it’s good for your fields and for your livestock.

We always welcome your questions at Flieg’s Equipment. Please stop by and see us in Ste. Genevieve and in Leadington, just north of Farmington, Missouri. We also serve those of you in Park Hills. Don’t forget we have an expert service department.